Flyers unlikely streak continues with win over Rangers

The Rangers' Derek Stepan looks to steal the puck from the Flyers' Jakub Voracek in the second period. Voracek contributed an empty-net goal in the closing seconds of the game to give the Flyers a 4-2 win. (Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA -- Freed from the shackles of playoff pressure, apparently not intoxicated by the sweet smell of golf courses in the spring, the Flyers have suddenly changed direction again.

With a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers Tuesday night, the Flyers weren't about to launch any post-game speeches about destiny, fate and the miracles of sports arithmetic. Their playoff hopes are better defined by the reality of their place in the standings (still buried) rather than the number of points (now five) that separate them from the last Eastern Conference playoff seed, which is still held by the team they just defeated.

Beyond the meaningless math, however, a lesson could be learned, goals of another sort were still there to be achieved.

"Yeah, why not?" Kimmo Timonen said. "We have five games left, and obviously we need some help from other teams, but to me, every game matters."

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And not just for grading purposes.

"Every time you step on the ice there has to be pride and passion," Timonen said. "That's your job. To me it's not that hard. If it's game No. 10 or No. 48 or whatever, you still have to go out there and do your job and play."

And do so with passion, pride ... why does that sound so familiar?

Steve Mason has other motivations. The goalie that came over from Columbus and immediately declared his intention to unseat starter Ilya Bryzgalov proved in his first home game at Wells Fargo Center that he can back up his words.

Mason stopped 38 Rangers shots and withstood an apparent attack from within that had him down on the ice and flexing his leg with 7:28 left in the third period.

"I had some major cramps," said Mason, who in four appearances with the Flyers is 1-2, but with a 1.82 goals-against average and .941 saves percentage. "Whether that was a mixture of nerves from playing at home for the first time, and wanting to play well, I'm not sure. But I'm definitely going to be pumping up the fluids tonight."

He deserves a Gatorade toast or two.

"You know, he was exactly the same as he was in the first year when he won the Rookie of the Year," said Jake Voracek, a Blue Jackets teammate of Mason's. "And, you know, he was all over the place. He made huge stops for us and he was a big key for us, too."

Mathematically if not spiritually alive for a playoff spot, the Flyers (19-21-3, 41 points) managed to beat two difficult teams in the space of two nights, winning in Montreal Monday and winning Tuesday night for only the second time in two years over the Rangers.

Even without looking at the standings, there should be something positive drawn from this latest change of direction. Maybe somewhere down the road, around a distant bend, consistency lies in wait.

"It was an important game for myself and the team," Mason said. "These are the games that as a hockey player you want to be a part of. It's a must-win in terms of the playoff race, with them being in the eighth spot right now. It was a good performance and a big one."

As it is, a four-game winning streak that had them flirting with the idea of a stretch drive run immediately evaporated into a four-game losing streak -- one that now has turned into a somewhat bittersweet two-game consolation prize of a rebound with only five games remaining.

The Flyers needed all the luck they could get against the Rangers while employing a Phantoms glee club of Erik Gustafsson, Oliver Lauridsen and Brandon Manning joining bench stalwart Kurtis Foster as two-thirds of the starting D. The first bounce of fortune came when Manning, who was a minus-28 with the Phantoms this troubling season, took a shot that bounced off a Rangers stick before finding space in front of Brayden Schenn. He pushed it past Henrik Lundqvist 9:28 into the first for a 1-0 lead.

Then Gustafsson, who not long ago was sent back to the Phantoms because of poor play, continued his recent revival. Off the rush, he turned a Sean Couturier backpass into a blistering shot that Lundqvist could only wave at, and the Flyers went into the first break with a two-goal lead.

The Rangers (21-17-4, 46 points) weren't going to take that easily. They got one back just 2:54 into the second period when Mats Zuccarello was sprung down the right side on a long pass by John Moore, and Zuccarello took advantage of Lauridsen's loose defense to move in and beat Mason to halve the lead.

But at the midway point of the game, Claude Giroux beat Brad Richards on a draw during a Flyers power play, the puck going right back to Timonen, and he didn't miss on a slapshot that made it 3-1.

The Rangers again got to within one when Ryan Callahan set-up Derek Stepan for a goal that make it 3-2. But Mason then kicked into an extra gear. He made a string of important saves, and he had to. The Rangers outshot the Flyers 13-2 by the time the third period was only half over.

The problem with the Rangers was that the game was half-over before they started playing like they're supposed to.

Their night that started too late ended 14 seconds too soon when Voracek rifled one into an empty net to give Mason a just reward.